I was in a masochistic mood this morning, so I tuned in to CNN's hard-hitting program American Morning. This show runs every weekday starting at 6:00 a.m., and it features the lean-jawed, salt-and-pepper haired John Roberts and the photogenic Kiran Chetry occupying the "anchor" chairs.
The theme of this morning's show was the pre-trial hearing of former astronaut Lisa Nowak. I was treated to live feeds from inside the courtroom, while in a separate window off to the side CNN had a couple of smirking correspondents offering what passes for "analysis"; it primarily consisted of one guy repeatedly saying to the other, "Well we've got Lisa Nowak and Colleen Shipman here, now all we need is William Oefelein to complete the love triangle!" No kidding, he must have said that at least three times. Each time he said it, the other correspondent would give a half-smirk. Throughout it all they both gave the impression that they were barely suppressing a round of hearty guffaws. There wasn't much of interest going on at the hearing, mostly testimony concerning whether or not Nowak would have to continue to wear her GPS bracelet. CNN made up for this lack of substance by rehashing the facts of the case, interspersing this riveting material with more crowing about "love triangles" along with close-ups of their grinning correspondents. This would go on for a few minutes, then they would cut back to the studio, promising to return if anything exciting happened. CNN assured me that their people were "monitoring" the hearing in their "newsroom."
Cut to studio: the guest is a local legislator from (I think) Virginia. The topic? A law being considered that would make it illegal for anyone to display their boxer shorts or other undergarments in public! Lots of file footage of young kids walking around in hiphop clothes.
This ought to give you a general feel for the tenor of the show. The most amusing part of it all was probably the excrutiating banter between the hosts. Their strained attempts at chirpy small talk made me wish I had a gun to reach for. I know their morning show isn't supposed to be as "serious" as the afternoon stuff with Wolf Blitzer, but Wolf's segments aren't much different.
Oh yeah, and how about those cool effects? The true hallmark of a successful corporate news spectacle is the professional sparkle. The Iraq graphics crack me up. Every Iraq segment has to have a cool map border, accompanied by dramatic intro music. I can't help but picture the guys who put this stuff together, sitting in front of a computer. "Does the sepia look cooler? Which font looks the most important? Which music best conveys the majesty and drama of war?" Bwahaha, it's so funny and sick.
Not to single out CNN. They're all more or less the same. The really scary part is that most Americans who follow the news at all get their information from television, which does very little original reporting and investigation; they cannibilize stuff from the newspapers instead. Even the newspapers, which do most of the real journalistic gruntwork, are slashing newsroom budgets in response to declining sales. This does not bode well for the future of journalism.
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Again, The Daily Show has managed to set the standard for investigative reporting in the new millennium, and not necessarily in a good way. It's startling how many of the news anchors and politicians actually watch that show.
"I watch it every night." - Barack Obama
I seriously think that they either a) try to do everything they can not to be made an ass of by a comedian on a faux news show or b) try to make asses of themselves to get the extra air time offered by the same comedian on the faux news show.
Either way, when journalism lost its virginal objectivity to the swagger and cool of sensationalist reporting, part of it died. There's a good chance we'll never see it again.
CNN is a total joke, and has been for years. They try to outfox Fox, with hosts like the oafish Glen Beck. The other day I read on Media Matters how they treated that scumbag mining owner the other day, never bringing up his appalling safety record or his controversial decision to continue drilling in increasingly dangerous fashions. Instead one of the bimbo eye candy dumbasses asked him how he was holding up through all this. This guy Murray is like a capitalist villain out of a 19th century novel.
Serge is right that this part of a steady decline in quality reporting. Katie Couric is another symbol of where we're heading.
That's why it's important to have guys like Bill Maher and Stewart to cut thru the bullshit, call people on their crap, and nothing cuts to the chase like humor and ridicule. Letterman has also been all over Bush on a nightly basis, and let's not forget the times O'Reilly was on his show; it was one of my favorite TV moments of the new millennium when Letterman told him, I got a feeling 60 percent of what you say is crap. The problem is Letterman is an original and all these smirking wannabe's are just going through the motions.
Yeah, it's weird because Letterman is usually so apolitical. I was glad to see him challenge O'Liely instead of giving him a free pass.
I hadn't heard about CNN's interview with the mining executive, although I can't say it surprises me. It's incredible that some conservatives still bray about CNN being the "communist news network." I guess if you're as far to the right as, say, Adolph Hitler, CNN might look like a gang of marxists. I recall Kyra Phillips "interviewing" Pelosi shortly after the November elections. She spouted right wing talking points like a good little Rovian. When Pelosi mentioned that if she kept defending Bush so vigorously she could be in line for a job, Phillips got extremely defensive. One of the few times I've cheered for old Nancy.
So yeah, it's obvious CNN is emulating Fox in an attempt to stem the bleeding in the Nielsens. I'm not even sure their ratings are that bad, but when supreme importance is put on the dollar and shareholder value, they don't have to be in order to create boardroom panic. I read that the newspaper industry is still plenty profitable, it's just not a growth industry. The solution? Cut the newsroom budgets! Sure, who needs those pesky reporters aking annoying questions on Capitol Hill just so "the People" can be informed...I'm sure that's not essential to a democracy or anything. We can trust the government to give us an honest, unbiased account of what they're up to.
I like Maher too. It took brass balls for him to say that thing about terrorists being braver than the "troops", as they can lob guided missiles from a comfortable distance. I like the way he doesn't shy away from controversy (of course there's still some things even he won't say on the air...)
The other morning CNN was showing "racy" photos of Vladimir Putin fishing topless while on holiday. Living proof of the "Communist News Network".
I have the fortune to check out BBC World News. Unlike "CNN Headline News" and the always informative "Fox and Friends"(canned laughter) BBC likes to keep you informed real important issues and tries to save filler news for online look-up or the American news broadcasters.
As for Nowak, I am a sucker for trashy headlines(come on, you all know it is). I subscribe to US Weekly.
I think Nowak is to the Space Program what Tonya Harding was to ice skating. It's all about the ratings, and America wants to learn more about the crazy astronaut that drove across country wearing a diaper with plans to kidnap and kill a coworker at an airport.
Idea for a show. Trashy soap television show based around the rich and decadent lives of cosmonauts. Coming soon to ABC after General Hospital.
You saw it here first, America.
Haha, your NASA/Ice Skating analogy is apt! Lisa Nowak makes science safe for the National Enquirer reader base.
If any of the recent revelations about the NASA culture are true, there does exist the possibility for a lucrative reality TV show.
(Cut to candid interview segment.)
"Omigod, she's such a bitch. She, like, doesn't even know how to use the robotic arm."
"Yeah, and she totally needs to drop, like, fifteen pounds if she wants to make the September mission." (High fives all around.)
Throw in a metrosexual host and I think we can sell that deal to FOX.
Post a new blog, dammit.
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